18-year-old Kerala athlete alleges sexual abuse by 62 persons over five years

An 18-year-old woman from Kerala’s Pathanamthitta district has alleged that she was sexually abused by around 62 men in the past five years, the Deccan Herald reported on Friday.

Those accused of the abuse are primarily the woman’s classmates, friends and neighbours. Some of them are minors, while others are aged between 20 and 40, representatives from the district Child Welfare Committee said.

The complainant shared details of the alleged abuse with volunteers from the Kerala Mahila Samakhya Society, who met her during a routine field visit to her school. The woman is a district-level athlete.

The social workers informed the Child Welfare Committee about the case 15 days ago. Since then, the police have filed two first information reports in the matter and arrested 15 people.

According to the police, the complainant’s neighbour, Subin, first harassed her by taking photographs of her in the nude when she was 13, reported The News Minute.

When she was 16, Subin sexually assaulted her. He reportedly recorded videos of the assault and shared them with others persons who went on to assault the woman over the next several years, while she was a minor.

Advocate N Rajeev, who heads the Pathanamthitta Child Welfare Committee, said the woman’s family was unaware of the abuse.

“She hadn’t shared anything with the mother,” Rajeev told The Indian Express. “Since the girl is a district-level athlete, she has...

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